Our next meeting on Wed
27th May 6.30 via Zoom
Stacey Booth from GMB will be speaking, along with Jeremy Pritlove who has done work with Unison on bringing home care back into the public sector.
Urgent action needed to protect the NHS from Trade Deals.
KONP , working with Global Justice Now and We Own It et al are asking everyone to contact their MPs NOW to urge them to protect our NHS from trade deals.Negotiations are underway with the US, and the Trade Bill is due to have a second reading in Parliament this Wednesday 20 May. Go to
https://weownit.org.uk/your-mp-can-protect-nhs-tell-them-how
Help build a campaign to end charging migrants and other people with undocumented status for health care and to drop health surcharges on workers from overseas.
NHS_charges_open_letter_5.5.20_signed_by_John,_Martin,_Jane_and_Wilson
Please read the attached open letter to our MPs, councillors, Leeds Teaching Hospitals and trade union, political and community organisations signed by Dr John Puntis, national Co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public and Chair of Leeds KONP, Dr Martin Schweiger, Retired Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, Jane Aitchison, President of Leeds TUC and Wilson Tweed , Chair of staff side at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. And please send the letter to your MPs and councillors asking them to take action, take it to meetings of any organisations in which you are involved and ask them to endorse the letter, pass it on to your contacts and let us know of any endorsements, feedback etc.
Info and joining info for the Health Campaigns Together / KONP webinar on “ Fighting Covid: International lessons and Warnings” on line this Tuesday 19 may 7pm
Register here https://healthcampaignstogether.com/coronavirus.php
We will be discussing social care at our next Leeds KONP mtg 27th May and have invited speakers.
Summary Action Agreed
- Push the “Test, test, test, PPE, Keep Key Workers Virus free” message. Gilda can send A4 rainbow poster on request and will pass on a new one 999 is preparing
- Consider taking the clap out from our streets to more public places such as outside hospitals, maybe even Social Care homes.
- Spread campaign re migrant charging (Leeds open letter attached)
- Press local and regional health and Social Care Scrutiny Boards to meet (Jenny writing)
- Start some serious campaigning for a national, free at the point of use, public national Social care service.
- Don’t lose sight of Trade deals and exert what pressure we can on our MPs et al
- Do all we can to support whistle-blowers
- Think creatively about co-ordinated celebration, protest, campaigning and maybe even marching in July. Possibly on the weekend of 4th and 5th and maybe 25th as well.
Nationalising Special Purpose Vehicles to end PFI: a discussion of the costs and benefits by Helen Mercer and Dexter Whitfield:
MERCER_Nationalising_Special_Purpose_Vehicles_to_End_PFI_2019
Staff should not need to fight for adequate work protection through legal challenges, but to many I suspect this will feel like the right move and one born out of desperation.
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1665/rapid-responses
Professor Agius makes a very important point that is highly relevant to the issues of both identifying those who have died from contracting Covid-19 in the course of their work and exploring contributory factors. Coroners’ inquests would be one way of honouring the dead and protecting the living…As Professor Agius points out, doctors have an obligation to report deaths to the coroner where occupational exposure to a pathogen may have been a factor. Trade unions have repeatedly warned that their members do not feel safe at work because of a lack of PPE”
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1622/rapid-responses
Repurposing industry to increase mask production together with provision of efficient arrangements for fit testing remains an urgent priority as part of the still failing effort to provide adequate PPE for staff https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1435/rr-11
Jane Aithchison laying a wreath in Victoria Gardens and Dr John Puntis playing The Last Post.
Including: mounting criticism of Johnson et al – If you haven’t seen the Times shocking catalogue of inaction and delay in planning to respondi to the coronavirus pandemic see https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-38-days-when-britain-sleepwalked-into-disaster-hq3b9tlgh
It notes that Johnson took 2 weeks holiday in February and didn’t attend any of the first 5 COBRA meetings called to prepare for the pandemic in the UK. Another newspaper has reported on his ideology putting the market ahead of life and healthcare in a speech in February. Since they were published, the Tories have been scrabbling to issue refutations and dig themselves out of a big hole. It’s only going to get bigger.
Also – DNR and PPE research, carry on clapping, Workers Memorial Day 28th April.
Newsletter: Konp Leeds newsletter 24.4.20
Upcoming meetings:
- People Before Profit Covid 19 group now meeting Mondays at 6.30 pm
- Leeds TUC public mtg : Wed 29th April 7pm Testing, PPE; Put our safety first: organise in your workplace. Joining instructions are : https://zoom.us/j/99227080107?pwd=eTdMaHZ2amppazAzalRvSE9uWUFSUT09
- Yorkshire Health Campaigns Together network meeting Friday 1st May at 4pm
- Trades Council May day celebration May 2nd – instead of the May Day march – tbc
- KONP &HCT webinar 5th May 7.30 – 9pm
“Coronavirus Crisis: What now for the NHS ?” Speakers include: Richard Horton, ed. The Lancet, Prof. Allyson Pollock – Public Health Consultant & Director Newcastle Uni. Centre for Excellence in Regulatory Science, Dr John Lister ed. of Health Campaigns Together, co-ed. of The Lowdown. Dr Sonia Adesara – Junior Doc & member of KONP’s NHS Staff Voices group, Pam Kleinot – Producer of Under The Knife. Register here : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SeVsKXHHRIa2fvHiDRZVJg
The next LEEDS KONP meeting will be at 6.30 on Wednesday 13th May (sticking to the 2nd and 4th Wed of the month )
